


one day we'll meet up on the moon and then we'll be ok

by grimatrix (gigalomancy)



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Nonbinary Sollux Captor, Other, Quadrant Confusion, but very briefly. wooh!, death (wooh!)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:42:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22191241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gigalomancy/pseuds/grimatrix
Summary: small au thing where sollux dies in the whole eridan fight thing and karkat drags em to their quest cocoon and they god tier, then shit gets deep. essentially just sol dies but they get better and talk to kk abt quadrant evasion
Relationships: Sollux Captor/Karkat Vantas
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	one day we'll meet up on the moon and then we'll be ok

**Author's Note:**

> fuck its 3am and im haphazardly editing this week old bitch cause i need more quadrant-equivalent-to-platoniromantic-solkat and apparently its some bullshit i cant seem 2 find. also this was gonna be longer but hah im tired
> 
> theres some small hcs in here i feel i should note, mainly just yellowbloods have double ears (which r like. cat based over just pointed elf ones or whatever) + two tails, uhhh kk has tourettes, sol has chronic fatigue,,,,,,,,, theyre also bigender but ive mainly used they/them here, etcetera
> 
> but anyway

Karkat gripped Sollux’s hand, trying to suppress his tremors. Softly, he called out, “Sol?”

Was he too late?

They didn’t even stir. But slowly, they opened their eyes, red and blue dulled, and croaked out, “KK.”

They coughed, raising a hand between them and Karkat to grasp their stomach. They were far more still now, dark, yellow blood running from their nose and mouth in a golden cascade. Karkat looked up in desperation. The air crackled like electricity, making his chest feel tight. He, perhaps in a moment of utter stupidity, arose from his crouched position and looked into the foggy red distance.

It had to be here somewhere, right?

Karkat bent over to carry Sollux in his arms. Instantly a chill ran down his spine as they didn’t object - any conscious Sol would, to this. He was now acutely aware of how little time he had left.

Digging his foot into the soft ground that squelched beneath his feet, he started to run. Luckily, Sollux wasn’t particularly heavy.

He made his way past identical terrain of faded brown and pink. Everything blended together, without any sign of where he was or how long he had ran for. The crimson horizon flickered, almost as if it knew how close imminent doom was.

Or more fittingly, how far it would eventually be.

No. Karkat refused to let Sollux die. He refused to consider the option, the mere possibility that they even could. Drawing their alarmingly colder body closer, he whimpered and sped up.

He came to a stop at the end of a cliff, a break between a brain’s two sides. Golden light erupted from the crack, murky and hazy. Merely looking at it made Karkat tire. He set down Sollux’s body with care and edged closer to observe its inside. And surely, a blackened, withering, cocoon-shaped shell embedded itself into the ravine’s pink floor beneath. It had a wide, open mouth with uneven cracked edges, as if it had decayed away. The floor beside it pulsed and shook like a bullfrog. Karkat had to be careful.

Looking for a way down, he noticed a winding path...moreso, a gross, grim brain staircase with spliced uneven steps, that descended far enough downwards. With a few jumps, he could probably reach the mouth of the Quest Cocoon.

He cradled Sollux again. And, with a sigh, he plunged.

Brain floor under him screamed and protested every time he took a step. Discomforted, and also anxious as all hell, he hurried. With every leap down, the floor became harder and harder, as if trying to refute his plan. Still, he persevered. There was nothing else he could do.

Karkat glanced up, realising he had almost reached the alcove that connected the cocoon to floor. Slipping onto the final stair, he took a millisecond to catch his breath. Sollux’s own breathing was stagnant, barely there. He gathered himself as much as he could let himself and slid into the winding mouth of the shell.

The cocoon sloped downwards in a curve, bent this way because of the narrow space around it, so he didn’t suffer any bone-shattering injuries. The air here was thick, almost enough to choke, and if the searing light of the fires above wasn’t so brilliant, Karkat was convinced he wouldn’t be able to see shit.

But thankfully, Sollux’s land was stupid as fuck.

Just like them, honestly.

Karkat stepped onto the cold, dull olive floor. A pitch silhouette of a skull was etched on it - supposedly the symbol of Doom. He leaned down, and gentle as possible, lowered Sollux onto it. He recoiled, glimpsing blood. Far too much of it. It bled into the already thick air, staining it with an unbearable metallic scent.

The ceiling started to crackle, and Karkat looked up. A solid black line ran through it, branching out more and more with every second.

He stepped backwards.

The last thing he wanted to do was to leave Sollux here to die, but as the entire cocoon screeched, he knew he had no choice.

With a final look at his best friend, he fled.

Stooping to a crawl, he made his way through at least half of the brain stairwell before his exhaustion got the best of him. Karkat collapsed into the ground, welcoming its softness. It pricked his skin, but he was too tired to do anything.

He simply hoped Sollux would be okay.

* * *

“What the fuck is wrong with you.”

Karkat’s eyes fluttered open, and he stumbled backwards as he met Sollux’s. The latter flinched, as if not expecting him to actually awaken. Their posture hardened, and their face morphed into a scowl.

“You’re a fucking idiot, you know that?”

Karkat surveyed his surroundings. He was now in a messy green room in Sollux’s hive, overlooking the rest of their land. He arose from the makeshift cushioned floor Sollux had set him on.

“Not as much as you,” Karkat grumbled back. “You were the dumbass who decided to fight Eridan.”

“And you were the one who ran around my land looking for a Quest ‘Coon like a fucking maniac,” they said, tapping around their desk to find their glasses. “KK, I had another Dream self left, you didn’t have to do shit. I would’ve been fine.”

They turned to face Karkat, now adorning their glasses (which was typical) and a green-and-black godhood (which was pretty irregular). Flaxen wings, shaped like those of bees (even odder) twitched behind them.

“I mean, not gonna lie, this kinda fucks. But also come on. You literally collapsed in the middle of nowhere in my land and if I didn’t realise, you probably would’ve been burnt to death or some shit.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake. Are you actually mad at me for saving your life?” Karkat said.

Sollux paused, then they rolled their eyes and sighed. Thankfully, they had returned to their bright colour, and didn’t contain that dull, dead shade from earlier.

“I guess I’m not,” they ruminated, rubbing their neck. “But seriously, KK, my land’s a fucking hell trap. You shouldn’t have come here.”

“What, and let you bleed to death until you became a running fucking fountain of grubsauce? No fucking way!” Karkat said. “Besides, it was nothing. I don’t even feel tired or anything.”

“Do you ever?” Sollux joked, turning away to descend downstairs. “I’ve never seen you sleep or anything since we began playing.”

Karkat followed, groaning sardonically.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve never even seen you awake on Prospit or Derse or anything. And I mean, not like I will now, but...”

He sniffled, dodging the question by saying, “Where the fuck are you going?”

Sollux turned to face him, freezing right outside the door. They said, far too calmly, “I’m going back to fight Eridan. I’m not gonna let that pompous fishfuck asshole win - if he thought he did, he’s got another thing coming.”

Karkat blinked.

“What the actual fuck?”

He followed Sollux outside, grimacing as the floor squelched under the pressure of their furious strides. They turned, quizzical, and looked at Karkat.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Sollux scoffed, as if Karkat’s rather reasonable criticism was something preposterous. Their wings twitched.

“No, obviously fucking not. I just told you, I’m trying to get Eridan killed.”

Karkat, still unsure if they were sincere, mumbled, “Fucking unbelievable.”

He walked past Sollux, almost as if blocking their way. Though realistically, he had no chance against a now-immortal all-powerful flying doom God. The distinction made him uneasy.

“You literally died fighting him. That’s the reason you were at all in that fucking predicament, which, oh fuck! You got mad at me for!”

“Oh shut up, I know. I wasn’t serious, you dumb fuck,” Sollux said, clearly wanting to end the conversation. They strayed from their predisposed path to walk right beside Karkat.

He huffed, rolling his eyes.

“How’s God tier treating you, bee boy?”

“I mean, I feel mostly the same,” they said, nonchalant. “Turns our death doesn’t do too much shit to you.”

“Really?” Karkat quipped with a laugh. “After you spent literal hours telling me how we’re all gonna die and how it’s gonna be disastrous and bad and all that?”

“Oh fuck off, man, I still don’t know how to feel about this shit either,” Sollux groaned, “It’s weird, and I’d rather not think about it.”

“Right, ok,” Karkat said, rubbing his hand against his nose. He paused, slowing down his walking slightly, before suggesting, “How about your wings or whatever. Tried fucking off with those yet?”

“Why would I? I’ve already got a way better method of flight,” they said. Almost as if to prove a point, a sizzling noise sounded, and they hovered, sparks of red and blue carrying them in midair. “It’s already fast enough and looks cool as shit.”

“Yeah, I know. You can sit your ass down now.” Karkat said, but grinned. “Doesn't that make you tired though?”

Sollux shrugged, lowering themself down. “Eh, I’m always tired, it's not the biggest difference in the world.”

Karkat rolled his eyes. He turned to look at Sollux, who now fluttered in their place with a quizzical expression.

“Fuck, this is weird.”

“Are you going to rub the fact that _I_ don’t have fancy magic god wings in my face now?” Karkat teased. “Because that’d be great. I’d be thrilled-“

“KK, if you start another fucking soliloquy here I’m actually going to fucking fly out of here, go to LOWAA and fight Eridan again.”

“Pffff, as IF,” he said. “You may be a fucking asshole who doesn’t know what the fuck she’s doing half the time, but at least you’re competent for the rest of it. And since you did the world’s stupidest fucking thing earlier, I thankfully won’t have to see you do more atrocious bullshit. Because the universe has decided to commit to your freakshow-worthy duality bullshit and offer some karmic condolences! Every time you flip the dumbassery coin it lands on the opposite side! And we have the fucking Skaia gods or whatever to thank for that!”

“I don’t know who the fuck you’re talking about but Sollux, as I know him, is a fucking perpetual idiot.”

Karkat growled, now irritated, “Shut the fuck up! You’re like the smartest person I know, despite your never-ending stubbornness, sensitivity, and above all else, complete fucking incompetence.”

“Like you’re one to preach to me about that,” they teased back with a cackle.

“Fuck off,” Karkat said, unable to stifle his laugh.

Silence overtook the conversation as the two continued walking. Or as much as if could, in LOBAF. Loud, scarlet fire crackled loudly wherever they went. The brain sounds Karkat had only recently noticed didn’t really lend themselves to the basic premise of ‘silence’ either. But despite all this, it was calm, walking here. Both weren’t really sure where they were going, but the journey provided levity and comfort. Which was, in Karkat’s opinion, surely needed.

Sollux had retreated their wings and were hovering quietly, lost in thought. So much so Karkat constantly had to wait for them to catch up, every time with an insult or two. Nearly four occurrences of this later, they both decided to just chill out at the edge of a brain cliff. It was for more convenient than having to call each other some abstract shit insult every few seconds. And also, they were both tired as fuck.

After a few minutes, Sollux’s tense curled position softened, and they sighed. They looked at Karkat, squinting, before asking, “Right. I’m gonna ask this again. Why did you come for me?”

Karkat raised an eyebrow, baffled.

“Why wouldn’t I? I don’t want you to fucking die, dude. Survivor's guilt and all that,” he shifted a little, as if wanting to say more. Eventually, he groaned, as if being held at gunpoint to say it, “And...you’re my friend. As much of an ass as you are. ‘Course I care about you.”

Sollux released a quiet chuckle, but looked past the candy red sky, as if wanting to avoid Karkat’s gaze.

“What’s up with you?” Karkat asked, noticing their discomfort. “You look fucking awful.”

“Thanks, KK, that’s extremely nice of you,” they said, now shaking. “It’s nothing.”

Karkat blinked.

“Is this some weird, grandiose psionic overuse reaction or what? I can like, go grab your meds or whatever-”

“I’m fine,” they insisted, clearly not.

“Can I help you at least, you look like you’re about to have a fucking stroke.”

“Yeah, I probably am. Explaining why will sound stupid as fuck though and I’ve already proved myself enough of an idiot today,” Sollux said.

“I mean, go off. Whatever relieves the fucking tension,” Karkat jeered.

Sollux rubbed the back of their neck, ears twitching in agitation.

They spat out, “I love you.”

“...what?”

“Let me fucking finish. It’s not...like I want you to be my matesprit or my kismesis. Fuck it, not even my moirail. And before you go off at me,” they raised a finger and scowled, noticing Karkat had already opened his mouth, “I don’t know what the fuck’s going on either.”

He closed his mouth, releasing a guttural mumble of annoyance. Still, he looked curiously at Sollux.

“I’ve always had this weird mix of emotions, where I know jack shit about which ones I’m actually feeling. Which means I have no fucking clue what a quadrant is, and if one even looks at me I will die,” they said, unease embedding itself into every word. They paused for a second, almost embarrassed. Then, noticing Karkat’s hand grip their own, they continued. “So...black and red, same thing to me.”

Karkat was silent for a while, lips pursed. Then, without a trace of judgement, he said, “What about Aradia? I thought you guys were Matesprits.”

“Obviously not, I told you that cause I didn’t want to look like a moron,” Sollux said. They looked away nervously with a scowl.

“We were totally outside of quadrants. And I know. That sounds like hoofbeastshit to you.”

“...uh, not completely,” Karkat muttered, his tone benign. “If it makes it less awkward, I thought about asking you to be in a quadrant with me multiple times now. But I didn’t really know which one to ask you about. Every time I thought about it I just got even more confused.”

Sollux’s anxieties seemed to ease, and they looked far more comfortable now. They drew closer to Karkat, who sniffled, docile.

“So the feeling’s mutual.”

They fell into his arms tiredly.

"...Yeah."

Neither said a further thing.

But that was fine. Each other’s mere presence was enough.


End file.
